Pipe union



Nov. 9, 1937.

W. S. MOFFITT l PIPE UNION Filed June l, 1936 7 fllll mha- "m Ww a 3 Patented Nov. 9, 1937 PATENT OFFICE PIPE UNION Walter S. Moiitt, Warwick, R. I.

Application June 1, 1936, Serial No. 82,705

1 Claim.

, l My present invention relates to pipe connections, and has particular reference to a novel construction for a union.

Unions such asV are Vused for connecting the ends of pipes are ordinarily made of case iron or of brass, the brass unions being used where the iiuid transmitted in the pipes have a corrosive or rusting tendency. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages, the iron union using inexpensive materials, but having a tendency to rust, and the brass union using relatively expensive materials, and lacking the strength of the iron union.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide abrass union which has the non-corrosive qualities of the brass type and which has the strength of the iron type.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a simple construction for forming a composite union with all parts contacted by the fluid of non-corrosive material, and all the parts requiring strength of material having great tensile strength.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanyingr drawings, and more specifically defined in the claims ap- .,0 pended thereto.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of an assembled union embodying the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough;

Fig. 3 vis a composite view showing the parts for forming one of the union elements, prior to joining;

Fig. 4 is a composite view showing the parts for forming the cooperating union element, prior o to joining;

Fig. 5 is a view showing the parts of Fig. 3 joined, prior to threading; and

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the parts of Fig. 4 joined, prior to threading.

.15 Referring to the drawing, the novel union I0 comprises a union member II, a cooperating union member I2 and a lock ring I3, these parts having the usual hexagonal formation for facilitating gripping engagement of pipe Wrenches.

50 The lower member I2 includes an outer shell I4 of material of great tensile strength, such as cast iron, having a laterally extending flange I5 for engagement by the ring as hereinafter explained, and an inner union member I6 of non-corrosive 55 material such as brass, the inner union member having a contact face I1 and an inner cylindrical portion I8, which fits into a stepped recess I9 formed in the foot of the member I4, the contact face I'I being sloping and slightly arcuate,

as illustrated in Fig. 2, and extending over the 5 upper edge of the member I4. The foot 20 of the member I4 and the inner surface of the cylindrical portion I8 are threaded to receive a pipe end.

The union element II is of generally similar 10 construction, comprising an outer member 2| of iron, having a foot 22 with a stepped recess 23,

a brass inner union 24 being seated therein, and having a contact face 25 of conical formation for contacting engagement with the face I1, and 15 an inner cylindrical portion 26, the inner surface of the cylindrical portion and the inner surface of the foot 22 being threaded to receive the other pipe end.

The ring I3, see Fig. 2, has a stepped recess 2I 20 for locking engagement with the flange I5, and a threaded portion 28 which is adapted to engage the corresponding exterior threads 29 of the upper portion II, whereby turning the ring I3 K draws the two union members together so as to 25 tightly engage the face I'I and 25, which cooperate to seal the union against outow of uid.

It is thus evident that the novel union consists of two cooperating inner brass unions which 30 are seated in and are supported by outer iron housings, the clamping ring engaging these outer iron housings, whereby the strain comes on the outer iron parts, and the sealing is eifected by the inner brass parts; the inner brass parts engage the ends of the pipes so as to prevent any contact of fluid with the outer iron parts. The novel union thus combines the effectiveness and the non-corrosive action of a brass union with the strength and the decreased material cost of an iron union.

In manufacturing the novel union, the preferred method is to use a shell 30 of iron, see Fig. 3, which is recessed as shown, and an inner member 3l of brass, of the shape shown in Fig. 3, 45

' the two parts being forced together under pressure to form a composite blank 32, see Fig. 5, which can then be machined to provide the screw threads shown in Fig. 2 to form the union member Il. Similarly, an iron base 33 and an inner 50 brass member 34, see Fig. 4, are forced together under pressure to form a blank 35, see Fig. 6, which can then be threaded to form the union member I2. The preferred construction is thus to utilize a force t between the outer iron members and the inner brass members, so as to prevent relative rotation and relative movement; keys or cooperating projections and recesses of standard type can be provided, if desired, between the joined members to elfectively prevent relative movement. The preferred length of the brass members is as shown in Fig. 2, to provide sucient contact with the pipe ends so that no fluid can pass through the threads to contact the iron parts. In certain constructions, it may be desirable to have the inner brass members somewhat loose in the iron members, as the effectiveness of the seal does not depend in any Way on the locking of the brass parts in the iron parts; such a construction is particularly suitable for connections Where the pipes may not be in exact alignment, as it permits a slight change in position of the inner brass parts while maintaining an effective sealing action.

Although I have described the union parts as being made of brass and of iron, it is obvious that any material, and Aparticularly non-corrosive material, may be used for the inner parts, and any material, preferably a material of great strength may be used for the outer parts, the shape of the contact faces and of the engaging portions, and the relative sizes and widths of the parts being changed to meet different union requirements, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as dened in the ap pended claim.

I claim:

In a pipe union, two outer shells each having outwardly turned annular flanges at one end and inwardly turned annular flanges at the other end, each shell having elongated cylindrical members of non-corrodible metal seated therein with one end of each non-corrodible cylinder abutted against the inwardly turned ange of its shell and the other ends of said cylindrical members being formed to provide engageable sealing surfaces, the flanges and the adjacent portions of the cylindrical members having a continuous screw thread, and means engaging the outer flanges to detachably lock the shells and the cylindrical members together.

WALTER S. MOFFI'I'I. 

